IndyCar qualifying: Groupings from the Firestone GP at St. Petersburg explored

The groupings for the first qualifying session of the 2025 IndyCar season have been announced.

The season kicks off with the St. Petersburg Grand Prix in Florida, and several drivers tipped to win the race are locked in the same qualifying group.

Last year’s race winner, Pato O’Ward, has been placed in Group 1 alongside his Arrow McLaren teammate Christian Lundgaard, Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin—who crashed during Practice 1—the ever-iconic Josef Newgarden, and Andretti Global’s Colton Herta.

Group 2 is just as competitive, featuring a line-up of proven IndyCar winners. Two-time defending champion Alex Palou and six-time champion Scott Dixon, both representing Chip Ganassi Racing, will be up against former F1 drivers Marcus Ericsson and Robert Shwartzman, as well as last season’s Indy NXT champion, Louis Foster.

With such a strong field, the stage is set for a thrilling qualifying session, especially given the unique challenges of IndyCar’s street circuit format.

In 2024, Team Penske dominated qualifying, with Josef Newgarden securing pole position and Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist claiming second.

However, while starting at the front is important, it doesn’t always determine race results. Last season, despite qualifying third, Pato O’Ward emerged victorious in St. Petersburg, with Will Power and Colton Herta rounding out the podium.

How IndyCar qualifying works on street and permanent circuit

INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Day 1 - Source: Getty

Unlike in F1, where the qualifying sequence remains unchanged regardless of the circuit layout, IndyCar qualifying varies depending on the track.

With the St. Petersburg track being a street circuit, the grid is divided into two groups of 13 and 14 drivers, respectively.

Each driver in both groups has 10 minutes to set their fastest lap, with the top six advancing to the next phase. The remaining drivers who fail to advance are assigned grid positions from 13th downward, based on their qualifying times.

The initial 12 drivers who qualify from their respective groups are given another 10 minutes to set the fastest lap. The top six from this session advance to the final round of qualifying, while the remaining six are assigned grid positions from seventh place downward—based on their qualifying times.

The final six drivers then have six minutes to set the fastest lap, and they are ranked accordingly, with the quickest driver securing pole position.

The 2025 season was expected to be one for the record books, and if the results from the practice sessions are anything to draw conclusions from, it is certainly living up to the lofty expectations many have of it.